Hydraulically controlled dirt moving machine



Feb. 22, 1938. c. LE BLEU HYDRAULICALLY CONTROLLED DIRT MOVING MAC 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 21, 1935 Patented Feb. 22, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,109,392 HYDRAULICALLY CONTROLLED DIRT MOV- HINE ING

MAC

Charles Le Bleu, Los Angeles, Calif. Application May 21, 1935, Serial No. 22,529

7 Claims.

This invention relates to machinery for moving dirt and the like, and particularly pertains to a hydraulically controlled dirt moving machine.

in a desired set position.

The invention contemplates the provision of a tractor of the self-laying track type, and which tractor carries a scraper blade disposed transends from the separate track laying units, said articulate connections also including hydraulically controlled means by which the blade may be -moved.

tion, and at a desired level as the machine advances. The blade 2! is provided at a point intermediate its ends with brackets 22 receiving a king central opening in a transverse bolster 24, the

The king pin extends vertically through a' as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, are formed with a pair of upper arms 41 and 45 which are parallel to each other and extend along opposite sides of the track laying units. Their upper ends carry pivot pins 49 by which they are connected to thrust links 50 and These links extend rearwardly and are pivotally connected upon trunnions 52 and 53 which extend from opposite sides of the cylinders 40 and 45 respectively. By this arrangement it will be seen that if a fluid under pressure is introduced into the cylinders 45 and 45 at one end thereof this fluid will act against the piston 54 carried by piston rod 39 so that the cylinder will shift longitudinally and slide with relation to the piston. The sliding movement of the cylinder will impart motion to the thrust links 50 and 5| to swing the upper arms 41 and 48 of the bell cranks 32 in a corresponding direction. As this swinging motion takes place the blade 2| will be correspondingly raised or lowered.

The cylinders 40 and 45 are intended to be operated by fluid under pressure. A reservoir of this fluid is maintained in a tank 55 from which it is drawn by a pressure pump 55. This pump as I shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings connects with a master valve 51 through a pipe 58. The valve is provided with a rotary valve element having a central passageway 59 therethrough and opposite side passageways 55 and 5|. The central passageway 59 which normally establishes communication between a pipe 55 and an exhaust pipe 52 permits the fluid to pass to the supply tank 55. The valve 51 also is provided with pressure pipes 53 and 54. The pipe 54 is here shown as leading to the forward end of the piston 39 The pipe 53 is shown as leadingin cylinder 40.

to the housing of a control valve 55. The rotary member of the valve 51 may be moved from its neutral position to a position bringing the passageway 59 into register with the pipe 54 or into register with the pipe 53, at which time the one of the pipes 53 or 54 which is not in register with the passageway 59 will register with the exhaust pipe 52 through valve passageways 55 or 5| as the case may be. The control valve 55 has a rotary, valve element provided with passageways 55 and 51. The element is shown in one of its positions in solid lines in Fig. 3 and in the other position in dotted lines. A pair of outlet pipes as and as communicate with the valve housing on one side therepf and are connected with a pipe 15 leading to the rear end of the piston rod 39 of cylinder 45. Diagrammatically opposite the pipes 58 and 59 are pipes 1| and 12 respectively with a pipe 13 leading to the opposite end of the piston rod 39 of cylinder 45. The pipes 58 and 59, and the pipes 1| and 12 are intended to be alternately closed or opened as the case may be in the two positions of the rotary valve element of the control valve 55. Diagrammatically opposed to the pipe 53 in the housing of the valve 55 is a pipe 14 which leads to the rear end of piston 39 of the cylinder 45. By reference to Fig. 3 of the drawings it will be seen that longitudinal passageways 15 and 15 occur in the portions of the piston rods 39 upon opposite sides of the pistons In operation of the hydraulic mechanism a suitable incompressible fluid is placed within the tank 55. This is continuously circulated through the master valve 51 from pipe 58 to pipe 52 and returning to the'tank. In the event the rotary element of the master valve 51 is moved so that the central passageway 59 communicates with a pipe 53 the fluid will then flow through pipe 53 to the control valve 55. It will be assumed that at that time the rotary element of the control valve 55 is in the solid line position shown inFlg.3. The fluid will theri flow through the passageway 55 into the pipe 59 and thence through pipe to the passageway of piston rod 39 within the cylinder 45. This will force the cylinder 45 in a counter-direction since the piston 54 of that cylinder is immovable. The fluid in the opposite end of the cylinder 45 will then be displaced and will be forced outwardly through the passageway 15 into pipe 13 and thence through pipe 1| into the passageway 51 of the rotary valve element of the control valve 55. Fluid will then flow along the pipe 14 to the passageways 15 of the piston rod 39 within the cylinder 45. This will cause the cylinder 45 to move rearwardly in a corresponding direction to cylinder 45. The fluid on the opposite side of the piston within the cylinder 40 will be displaced and flow outwardly through passageway 15 in the piston rod to the pipe 54, and then to the master valve where it will flow .into the exhaust pipe 52 through the passageway 50 of the rotary valve element of the master valve 51. The movement of the two pistons in a rearward direction will act through the thrust links 50 and 5| to draw rearwardly upon the upper arms 41 and 45 of the bell cranks 32. This will coordinately lift the scraper blade 2|. If the rotary element of the master valve is moved so that central passageway 59 communicateswith the. pipe 54 a reverse action will be applied due to the fact that the fluid under pressure will enter the passageway 15 of the piston rods of both cylinders 45 and 45 from the pipes 54. and 13 respectively. This will force the cylinders 49 and 45 forwardly and swing the bell cranks 32 downwardly to lower the scraping blade 2|. If the rotary element in the control valve 55 is moved to its dotted line position and the rotary element of the master valve 51 is moved to bring the central passageway 59 into register with the pipe 53 it will be seen that pressure fluid will pass from pipe 53- through valve passageway 55 of valve 55 and then into the pipe 12 connecting with pipe 13. This will conduct the fluid to the piston passageway 15 at the forward end of the cylinder 45, thus creating a pressure in advance of the piston 54 of that cylinder to move the cylinder 45 forwardly. The displaced fluid upon the opposite side of the piston within the cylinder 45 will then flow through pipe 15 to the pipe 15 and into the control valve 55 through a pipe 55. Fluid will then pass through the passageway 51 of the rotary valve element and into the pipe 14 which communicates with the passageway 15 of the piston rod 39. Fluid pressure will then act inthe rear of the cylinder 45 to move it in an opposite direction from the direction in which cylinder 45 is simultaneously moving. The displaced fluid at the forward end of cylinder 45 will pass through the pipe 54 to the master valve 51 and then through valve passageway 59 to the exhaust pipe 52. By moving the rotary valve element of the master valve 51 to bring its passageway 59 into register with the pipe 54 a reverse action will be produced in the cylinders 40 and 45. By this arrangement it will be seen that power means are provided for positively lifting and lowering the opposite ends of the blade 2|.

It will thus be seen that by the structure here shown it is possible to positively and convenpivotally connected with said track laying units at their lower ends, operating levers pivot-ally nounted on said links of the separate its ends, a cylinder I moiznted on each of said pistons {or longitudinal h relation thereto, an

3 ton, the opposite closed to form pressure fluid chambers; a pair or bell cranks, one

to said frame, and a transversely disposed blade carried by said frame.

ends of. the cylinder being chine comprising a tractor,

ing unit and pivotally connected to the upright at the rear thereof and to a link at theiorward end thereof, a piston carried on the piston rod at a point intermediate its ends, a cylinder mounted on each of said pistons for longitudinal reciprocating motion with relation thereto, a source of fluid from connected with the pressure chambers in the opposite ends of the cylinders, a flrst and a interposed in said conduits, said first valve means adapted to selectively direct the flow oLfluid from the source of fluid supply to one end of one of the cylinders, or to the second valve means, said second valve means being adapted to be selectively controlled to direct the pressure fluid into the same ends of both cylinders or into opposite ends of both cylinders whereby the cylinders will shift simultaneously in the same or opposite directions;

'I. A hydraulically operated dirt moving maseparate track laying units at opposite sides thereto, a dirt moving member disposed transversely of the front of the tractor, a frame member articulately connecting the dirt moving member with the tractor for raising, lowering and tilting movement, operating levers pivotally mounted on the separate track laying units and connected at their forward ends to said irame, rigid uprights carried under pressure, conduits thereby each track laying unit, a link carried at the forward end of each track laying unit, a piston rod connected to one of said uprights at its rear end and to one 01 said links at its forward end, a piston carried on the piston rod at a point inon each of said pistons for longitudinal reciprocating motion with relation thereto, a link connecting each of said cylinders with one oi said operating levers, a source of fluid under pressure, conduits therefrom connected with the pressure chambers in the opposite ends of the cylinders, a first and second valve means interposed in said conduits, said first valve means adapted to selectively direct the flow of fluid from the source of fluid supply to one end of one of the cylinders, or to the second valve means, said second valve means being adapted to be selectively controlled to direct the pressure fluid into the same ends of both cylinders or into opposite ends of both cylinders whereby the cylinders will shiit simultaneously in the same or opposite directions, and means whereby the flrst named valve means may be operated to return said valve to a neutral position to cause a fluid lock of the cylinders and a bypass of fluid through the valve whereby the frame may be held in any of its desired set positions.

CHARLES LE BLEU. 

